New Delhi: Senior Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Italia was arrested by the Surat police Monday for controversial comments about state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi at an election rally last year.
He was later granted bail.
News agency ANI quoted Italia as saying: “Since the offences in the FIR were bailable, the Crime Branch let me go. AAP showed its strength in the last election in Gujarat, which is considered BJP’s stronghold. That is why they are scared.”
Italia was booked last September for derogatory comments against Sanghavi and Gujarat BJP President C.R. Paatil.
Italia allegedly called Sanghavi “Drugs Sanghavi” and Paatilas a former bootlegger.
The AAP made its debut in Gujarat in the 2022 state elections, winning five seats and 13 per cent of the votes polled.
Its performance in the state last year fractured the traditional BJP vs Congress fight, as it managed to pool in 3.4 million votes.
However, the party’s star candidates – chief ministerial face Isudan Gadhvi and state chief Italia – lost the polls.
Last week, the Election Commission accorded AAP the status of a national party on the basis of its poll performance in four states — Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat.
AAP was founded on 26 November, 2012, in the heels of the “India Against Corruption” movement in 2011.
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